Book rack



March 22, 1938., w. E. HASKIN BOOK RACK Filed Oct. 15, 1935 5sheets-sheet 1 INVENTOR ,n m E. um w M WB M,

WITNESSES y ZWQ-/a n March 22, 1938. W El HASKW 2,112,094

BOOK RACK Filed Oct. l5, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS March 22, 1938.w. E. HASKINv BooK RACK Filed Oct. l5, 1935 5 Shee+S-Sheet 4 ATTORNEYMarch 22, 1938.

w. E. HAsKlN BOOK RACK FiledOGt. 15, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 f ATTORNEYSclaims.

Patented Mar. 22, 1938 UNITE STATES PATENT BOOK RACK York ApplicationOctober 15, 1935, Serial No. 45,125

13` Claims.

rI'his invention relates `to a book rack, and it is to be understoodthat in employing the title book rack it is used in its broadest senseto include a book cabinet, book casing or other suitable mount for aplurality of pivotally supported books which are adapted to be movedfrom closed position to open position and vice versa with a minimum ofshocking or banging.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved mounting for aseries of books which normally supports the'books in closed position,but enables any or all of the books to be swung from a closed to openposition for ready use and particularly enables any or all of the booksto be readily removed entirely from the book rack or toA be locked inthe rack by improved means against tampering or removal when so desired.

My invention is particularly adapted for use in connection with entrybooks such, for example, as loose-leaf books or binders and, morespecifically, of the arcuate prong type in which the prongs` may bereadily separated laterally and longitudinally without breaking the backof the binder at the longitudinal center line thereof or otherwise sothat the back of same always lays flat throughout the operation of somanipulating the prongs.'

structurally the invention embodies an im,- proved cabinet or casing forthe books, improved means for removably mounting the books directly inthe casing and dispensing with an intermediate book holding or couplingdevice, suitable means for cushioning the fall of the books in theoperation of closing, improved Ameans for cushioning the fall of theside covers of the books in the operation of opening, and improved meansfor locking the books against rotation in or removal from the casing,all of which will be more full hereinafter described and pointed outinthe In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved book rack, the view beingtaken looking at one front corner of the rack showing one of the booksin open position and the other books in closed position; Y

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the rack looking at the rear, with theparts as shown, in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a View in front elevation, with aportion broken away and insection;

Fig. 4 is a view in vertical section through the rack, longitudinally ofa book, showing the books in locked position; V

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4,.sho1wing the books in. unlockedposition and one ofthe books (Cl. B12-34) in position for opening andalso for removal;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevational plan view, illustrating the positionof the trunnions in their cradles;

Fig. 7 is a View in longitudinal section of the detailillustrated inFig. 6, but showing one of the books with its trunnion in position forremoval from the cradle Fig. 8 is a view in vertical section on the line8-8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a plan or face View of the back of a book;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary view in elevation at right angles to Fig. 9;`

Fig. 11 is a plan or elevational View, showing the central portion orback of a book inverted and in open position; n

Fig. l2 is a fragmentary view in vertical section transversely of therack and books, showing one of the books in open position and the otherbooks in closed position; and

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary View in cross section illustrating one means ofattaching bumpers.

My improved book rack embodies a cabinet having a floor stand, a bookcasing mounted on the floor stand, a series of books provided with anovel arrangement of trunnions and mountstherefor for the suspension androtation of the books, a novel arrangement oi' cushioning means, and anovel arrangementvo-f looking means.

'I'hese several features of the rack will be hereinafter described inthe order stated.

Cabinet In referring to the structure of the cabinet, it is to bedistinctly understood that the invention is not limited to any form orshape of this cabinet as it may be varied to suit the requirements ofthe trade, but a specific form is illustrated which is Well Vadapted forthe' purpose. The cabinet may be made of sheet metal or any othersuitablematerial.

In the specific construction illustrated, the cabinet embodies a floorstand A having ends l connected across the bottom by a longitudinalstringer 2 which forms a foot rest, and are connected at their upperportions by the book casing B.

The cabinet is preferably supported on rollers or casters 3 tofacilitate its movement from place to place. The ends i-l and theStringer 2 in the construction herein illustrated are preferably ofsquare tubing and Vconstitute a skeleton frame with the upperextremities of the ends I I shaped to form shelves or compartments l forthe reception of pens, pencils, erasers and the like, and on the outeredges of these shelves or compartments 4 cushions 5 are provided toreceive and cushion the side covers of open books.

Boole casing The book casing illustrate-d generally by the referencecharacter B is composed preferably of sheet metal and comprises aninclined front wall 6, a relatively short rear wall 1, a bottom wall 9,end walls 8, and a series of vertical partition walls 8 spaced apart andparallel with the end walls 3 dividing the casing into individual bookcompartments. The book casing has a general taper or incline from frontto rear providing leg room or space for an operator in a sitting postureusing the cabinet.

The front wall 6 and the rear wall 'I at their upper edges have inwardlyprojecting anges 6' and 'I' respectively, suitably notched to receivethe partitions 8 to properly space the partitions and strengthen theconstruction.

The front wall 6 of the book casing is provided at its upper portionwith a ledge or shelf I having a means I I thereon for the reception ofindex cards or strips, and in the specific form illustrated this means II constitutes a channel-shaped strip. Also this iront wall 8 at itsextremity is provided with an upstanding flange I2 having a cushion I3thereon to receive and support the back of the books when in openposition.

Books and their trunnion mOi/.nts

The books indicated generally by the reference character C are ofidentical length and construction. Each book comprises a rigid back I4with the side edges having hinge barrels I5 to which are attached theside covers IS. The back I4 is preferably made of sheet metal and theside covers I6 of canvas, bakelite, or hard fiber, although in bothinstances other material may be employed. Where an arcuate prong typeloose-leaf binder constitutes the book as illustrated in the drawings,the prong manipulating mechanism is mounted in the back I4.

At the sides of the back I4 and at a point substantially midway betweenthe ends thereof longitudinally, are positioned two generallysemicircular depressions I'I, one on each side respectively, and at thecentral points thereof are fixedly mounted trunnions I8 which arecountersunk in the depressions and do not extend beyond the sides of theback I4, so that when a book is removed and placed upon a desk or tablethese trunnions will not in any way cause an unevenness in the positionof the book. The depressions I1 and trunnions i8 are positioned slightlynearer one end of the book back I4 than the other so that thepreponderance of weight of the book is at one end, preferably the upperor rear end in close-d position, to insure a complete opening andclosing movement due to gravity as the books reach the extremes of theirmovements.

Mounted on each of the intermediate partitions Si and end walls 8 nearthe top edge, and at a point approximately midway between the front andrear edges thereof, are a series of trunnion cradles I9, each cradlecomprising a base plate 20 and an extruded cylindrical boss 2I, eachboss provided with a suitable slot or notch 22 adapted to receive andpermit the discharge of the trunnions IB positioned at the sides of thebook. The trunnion cradles i9 are preferably made of extruded sheetmetal, although other materials may be employed, and are preferably madein pairs and in saddle form as illustrated and seated on the top edge ofthe partitions 8 and securely attached thereto by rivets 23.

It will be noted that the semi-circular depressions II are slightlylarger in diameter than the extruded cylindrical bosses 2l of thetrunnion cradles, so that the trunnions will readily enter the cradleswhen the book is in the full open position. When the book has beenpartially or fully rotated about the trunnion pivot for closing, it willbe seen that the interlocking action of the depressions I'I and bosses2l will prevent the removal of the book from the cabinet until it hasagain been returned to the full open position. As illustratedparticularly in Figures 6, '7 and 12, the trunnions I8 are of generalT-shape in longitudinal section, that is to say, they have enlargedouter ends so that when entered in the slots of their respectivecradles, the enlarged ends will prevent lateral disengagement therefrom.

The openings or notches 22 are at the top or upper portions of thecradles and these cradles, when the trunnions i8 are therein, arepositioned within the depressions I'I of the books so that when thebooks are in their closed position within the cabinet, as shown in Fig.4, the wall of this depression lies under the cradle so that the bookcan not be removed from the cabinet when in this closed position. Thisis indicated in detail at the right of Fig. 7 and also in Fig. 8. Whenthe book is swung or pivoted to an open position as illustrated at theleft of Fig. 7, the cradle aligns with the opening or entrance in thewall of the depression, and the trunnion I8 can then ride upwardlythrough the slot or opening 22 of the cradle I9. Hence when a book is inthis open position it can be lifted out of the cabinet, as illustratedin Fig. 5, and of course can also be returned to the cabinet, and whenthe book is pivoted to any point beyond its extreme open position itwill be securely held in the casing.

It is of course to be understood that the invention is not limited tothe particular angular position of the book for release from itstrunnion and cradle coupling means, as this may be varied to suit thetrade.

Cushioning means In addition to the cushioning device I3 on the frontWall 6 and in addition to the cushioning devices 5 on the endcompartments 4, I provide cushions 24 on the upper edges of all thepartitions 8 and end walls 8 which are disposed in a plane slightlyabove that of the back of the books when in closed position, so thatthese cushions 24 support the side covers of an open book as indicatedclearly in Fig. 12 of the drawings. They therefore reduce the shock ofopening the books, prevent noise, and lengthen the life of the books.

These cushions 24 are preferably of suitably shaped strips of rubber andconstitute bumpers as do the other cushioning strips, and a preferablemeans of mounting them is illustrated, in which retaining strips 25 ofsubstantially inverted U-shape formation in cross section are utilized.These retaining strips are secured over the upper edges of thepartitions 8 and receive and support the cushions 24 thereon which maybe secured thereto in any approved manner.

In addition to the cushions and bumpers above described, I provide acushion or bumper 26 on the inner face of the front wfall 6 of the bookcasing for cushioning the fall of the books during the operation ofclosing. This cushion or bumper 26 is secured in a retaining strip 27iixed to the front wall 6, and Ythis strip 2l has retaining flanges 28engaging the edges of the bumper, which is preferably of spongev rubber,holding the bumper compressed at its edges, and in arched or curvedformation so that it presents a strong resilient cushion to receiveContact of the books. It is of course to be understood that this cushion26 may extend entirely through the casing or it may be made in anydesired lengths or sections.

Locking means As seen clearly in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 of the drawings, Iprovide a locking bar 29 having a rocking action and mounted in thelower front portion of the book casing B and extending throughout itslength. This bar 29 at one end is arranged to pivot in a socket 30attached to an end wall 8 of the book compartment B, and at its otherend is connectedto the spindle 3l of a lock controlled handle 32 whichis attached to the outer surface of an end wall 8 of the bookcompartment. The handle is arranged to rotate through an arc of 90 andthe lower front corners of the intermediate dividing partitions 8 arecut away as seen in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 of the drawings to permitfreemovement of the locking bar and to provide for a stop for the sameto limit its turning movement.

Fig. 4 shows the locking bar in locked position, that is, it is turnedto substantially a vertical position engaging the edges of the books Cso that when the locking bar is in this position the books can not beturned or moved on their pivots, but when the locking bar is swung to asubstantially horizontal position as shown in Fig. 5, it is out of theway of the books and they areffree to swing or pivot. Thus it will beseen Vthat when the books can not be pivoted or swung to an openposition for uncoupling engagement of the trunnions with the cradles,they can not be removed from the cabinet so that the locking device 29functions in combination with the trunnion mounts to insure a securelocking of the books in the cabinet whenever desired.

While I have illustrated and described what I believe to be a preferredembodiment of my invention, it is to be distinctly understood thatvarious slight changes may be made with regard to the form andarrangement of parts without departing from my invention, and hence I donot limit myself to the precise details set forth but `consider myselfat liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall Withinthe spirit and scope of the claims.

I claim: A Y

1. A book rack, including a plurality of compartments adapted to containsingle books, a plurality of books provided with trunnion meansintermediate the ends thereof adapted for engagement in supports in thecompartments or for removal from the compartments, the said trunnionmeans being countersunk in the sides of the book whereby when the bookis laid flat on a table the said trunnion means will not mar the finishor cause the book to rock.

2. A book rack, including a casing, a book compartment for a singlebook, trunnion supports mounted on the side walls of said compartmentand projecting into depressions in the sides of the book mounted thereonin interlocked engagement, locking means preventing the rotation of thebook on its trunnion pivot whereby the book is locked against rotationfor use or removal from the compartment.

3. A book rack, including a casing comprising a plurality of bookcompartments, trunnion cradles mounted on the side walls of saidcompartments and projecting into depressions in the sides of booksmounted thereon in interlocked engagement whereby the said books arenormally suspended in closed position inside the said compartments andare prevented from removal from the said compartments except by rotationon the said trunnions to an open position outside the said compartments,a key controlled locking bar extending transversely through the saidcompartments and having a rocker movement whereby when in lockedposition none of the books may be rotated and when in unlocked positionthe books are free to rotate.

e. A book rack, including a pair of spaced supports, aligned trunnioncradles on the supports having openings in their upper portions, a book,and countersunk trunnions on the sides of the book adjacent its back formovement through the openings in the cradles and for pivotal movement inthe cradles.

5. A book rack, including a pair of spaced supports, aligned trunnioncradles on the supports having openings in their upper portions, a book,the countersunk trunnions on the sides of the book adjacentV its backfor movement through the openings in the cradles and for pivotalmovement in the cradles, said book having its countersunk portionsextending to the back of the book and its wall adapted to be positionedunder the cradle.

6. A book rack, including a pair of spaced supports, aligned trunnioncradles on the supports having openings in their upper portions, a book,countersunk trunnions on the sides of the book adjacent its back formovement through the openings in the cradles and for pivotal movement inthe cradles, means cushioning the movement of the book, and meanslocking the books in closed position.

'7. A book rack, including a support, a book casing mounted in thesupport, a plurality of parallel partitions in the casing dividing thesame into a plurality of book compartments, trunnion mounts on thepartitions and the end walls of the casing, a book for each compartment,countersunk trunnions intermediate the ends of the books at the sidesthereof for coupling engagement with the trunnion mounts, cushioningdevices on the upper edges of the partitions between the books, acushioning device at the upper edge of the front wall of the casing, anda cushioning device against the inner face of the front wall of thecasing adjacent the lower portion thereof.

8. A device of the character described, including a casing, a bookpartially concealed in the casing and normally having a portion of itsback exposed, the said book having recessed trunnion means at the sidesof its back intermediate the ends thereof, and trunnion cradles mountedin said casing adapted to receive and provide pivotal support for saidtrunnion means and permitting said book to swing around said pivotoutside ofsaid casing, whereby the book may be opened and supported byits pivot and adjacent parts of said casing in position for use.

9. A device of the character described, including a casing, a bookpartially concealed in the casing and normally having a portion of itsback exposed, the said book having recessed trunnion means at the sidesof its back intermediate the ends thereof, and trunnion supports mountedin such casing adap-ted to engage the said trunnion means for pivotalmounting to support and permit said book to swing around said pivotoutside of said casing whereby the book may be removed frorn the casing.

10. A book rack, including a compartment adapted to contain a book,projecting trunnion cradles mounted on the side walls of saidcompartrnent adapted to support a book which is suspended therefrom whenthe book is in closed position in the compartment, and a book havingrecessed trunnion means at the sides of its back intermediate the endsthereof, the said cradles being adapted to project into the saidrecessed trunnion means and interlock therewith whereby the book cannotbe lifted from the compartment when in said closed position.

11. A book rack including a plurality of compartments adapted to containbooks, projecting trunnion supporting means mounted on the side walls ofsaid compartments near the top, a plurality of books having trunnionspositioned in open-end semi-circular depressions at the sides of theback intermediate the ends thereof, the said open end of the depressionsbeing adapted to permit the trunnions to be lifted from or placed uponthe said supports for pivotal movement of the book, the said trunnionsupports being adapted to project into and intermesh with the saiddepressions whereby the said books may be lifted from the compartmentsonly when the books have been rotated to a position outside thecompartment.

12. A book rack, including a book compartment, projecting trunnioncradles mounted on the side walls of said compartment, a book havingrecessed trunnion means at the sides of its back intermediate the endsthereof, the said recesses being adapted to interlock with the saidcradles whereby the said book maybe suspended from said interlockingtrunnion means in said compartment and may be pivoted on said trunnionmeans and moved outside of said compartment and may then be entirelyremoved from said compartment.

13. A book rack including parallel spaced walls, a book normally locatedbetween said walls, said book having in its sides at its backsemicircular recesses, trunnions xed to the back and located centrallyin said recesses, and cylindrical trunnion cradles xed to said wallsadapted to receive the trunnions therein with said cradles located inthe recesses.

WALTER E. HASKIN.

